What Is EWP (Erasmus Without Paper)? A Plain-Language Guide for Universities

If you work in international mobility at a European university, you have likely heard EWP mentioned in emails from your National Agency or during EAIE sessions. But what it actually means for your daily work — and what your institution is expected to do — is often less clear.

This guide explains EWP in plain language, without assuming a technical background.

What is EWP?

EWP stands for Erasmus Without Paper. It is a European Commission initiative to replace the paper and email-based exchanges between universities in the Erasmus+ programme with direct, digital data connections.

Before EWP, a typical outgoing student mobility involved:

• Emailing a partner institution to nominate a student
• Receiving a PDF application form back
• Filling in a paper (or PDF) Learning Agreement, signing it, and emailing it to the partner for their signature
• Re-entering data from partner documents into your own system
• Chasing emails to confirm receipt, approval, and transcripts

EWP replaces these manual exchanges with direct system-to-system data flows. When your institution is connected to the EWP network and a partner institution is also connected, data moves between your systems automatically — without emails, without PDFs, without re-entry.

Why was EWP created?

European universities collectively handle hundreds of thousands of student mobilities per year under Erasmus+ alone. The administrative overhead of processing those mobilities manually — multiplied across every sending and receiving institution in 40+ countries — amounts to an enormous amount of duplicated effort.

EWP was initiated by the European Commission as part of a broader digital transformation of the Erasmus+ programme. The goal is straightforward: reduce the administrative burden on universities so that IRO staff can focus on students rather than paperwork.

It also improves data quality. Data that flows directly between systems is more accurate than data that is transcribed by hand from an email or PDF.

What does EWP actually do?

EWP is not a single tool — it is a network of connected systems, with a set of standardised APIs (data exchange protocols) that allow different university platforms to talk to each other.

The key APIs cover the most common data exchanges in student mobility:

Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIA)

Your IIAs — the bilateral agreements that define which students you will exchange, in which subject areas, and on what terms — can be created, shared, and approved digitally via EWP. Both partner institutions see the same agreement data without exchanging Word documents or PDFs.

Outgoing Mobility (Omobility)

When your institution sends a student to a partner, the nomination and application data can be transmitted directly to the partner's system via EWP. The partner receives the nomination without any email from your team.

Online Learning Agreements (OLA)

The Learning Agreement — the document defining what a student will study abroad and what credits they will receive — is created and signed digitally via EWP. All three parties (student, home institution, host institution) sign digitally, and the signed agreement is stored in both systems automatically.

Since the 2022–23 academic year, digital Learning Agreements are mandatory for Erasmus+ mobility. EWP is the underlying network that makes this possible at scale.

Transcript of Records (ToR)

When a student completes their mobility, the host institution can send the transcript of records directly to the home institution via EWP — eliminating the postal delays and PDF attachments that slow down credit recognition.

What does "EWP connected" mean in practice?

An institution is EWP connected when its mobility management system is registered on the EWP network and is actively exchanging data via one or more EWP APIs.

Not all connected institutions use all APIs. Some are connected only for IIAs; others have live connections for OLAs and Omobility. The depth of connection depends on the platform the institution uses and what their IT infrastructure supports.

From an IRO perspective, the practical difference is significant. When both you and your partner institution are fully connected:

• Nominations arrive in your system automatically — no email needed
• OLAs are created and signed digitally — no chasing
• Transcripts arrive directly — no waiting for post

When only one side is connected, you fall back to manual processes for that partner, even if your own system is technically capable.

Is EWP connection required?

For Erasmus+ participation, the direction of travel is clear: EWP is the programme standard. National Agencies increasingly expect institutions to be connected, and the European Commission's long-term goal is that all Erasmus+ data exchange happens via EWP.

Practical requirements vary by country and National Agency. Some have set explicit timelines; others are still encouraging adoption. If you are unsure of your obligations, your National Agency is the authoritative source.

What is not in doubt is the direction: institutions that are not connected will increasingly find themselves out of step with their partners and with programme requirements.

How does an institution get connected to EWP?

Connecting to EWP requires a mobility management system that supports the EWP APIs. Universities do not connect directly — they connect via their platform, which registers on the EWP network on their behalf.

The practical steps are:

1. Choose a platform with native EWP support — the platform must implement the relevant EWP APIs
2. Register on the EWP network — this is usually handled by the platform vendor
3. Configure your connections — define which APIs you are using and with which partners
4. Go live — once registered, data exchange with connected partners starts automatically

The complexity of this process varies considerably by platform. Some vendors manage the entire registration and configuration process; others require significant IT involvement from the institution.

What should IRO staff look for in a platform?

When evaluating mobility management software for EWP compliance, the key questions are:

• Which EWP APIs are implemented? IIA, Omobility, OLA, and ToR are the most operationally significant.
• Are they live in production, or on a roadmap?
• Who handles the EWP registration and maintenance? This should be the platform vendor, not your IT department.
• How are partner connections managed? You should be able to see which of your partners are connected and what APIs they support.

SoleMove is fully connected to the EWP network with live implementations of all major APIs. If you are assessing your options or want to understand how EWP would work in practice for your institution, book a demo and we will walk you through it.